Etihad, El Israel launch joint codeshare network

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and EL AL Israel Airlines, the national carrier of Israel, recently launched their joint codeshare network. This builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.

For flights from July 18 2021, EL AL will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. Beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from August 1.

In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to EL AL flights.

Tony Douglas, group CEO, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “We are very pleased to be able to announce the launch of our codeshare and a range of benefits between and beyond our respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.”

The 2020 MOU also provided for exploration of MRO, pilot and crew training, and cargo opportunities, which the parties are progressing.

Avigal Soreq, CEO, EL AL Israel Airlines said: “This is the first commercial partnership that EL AL has established following the Abrahamic Accords. This is an important milestone as this codeshare will bring growing benefits to our respective airlines and countries. The EL AL and Etihad teams have a common goal in this partnership, and we look forward to seeing it grow in the future.”